Analysts Predict a Rebound to Normal Disney Theme Park Attendance Levels by 2022

Disney4me · January 26, 2021

Analysts are taking another look at the projected future of the Disney theme parks.

Magic Kingdom

The last year has had a lot of ups and downs for the Disney theme parks around the globe. The worldwide pandemic forced every single park to close and the road to a full reopening has been rocky at times. Some parks, Disneyland included, remain closed. Now, Wall Street analysts are forecasting an optimistic outlook for 2022.

USB analyst John Hodulik forecasts that the Disney theme parks will reach historical attendance levels by 2022 due to pent-up demand for travel and entertainment, according to the Orange County Register.

Disneyland

UBS financial analyst John Hodulik has made several predictions about The Walt Disney Company over the course of the pandemic, including noting last year that Disneyland would not reopen until 2021.

2020-WDW-Entrance-Sign-Gateway-Construct

Disney World Gateway

With this latest forecast, he notes, “We believe the parks business has bottomed and we’ll see improved attendance/profitability as the vaccine becomes more widely distributed.” The analyst report also predicts that Disney’s theme parks sector will be the “beneficiary of vaccine availability and pent-up demand for leisure travel” in the second half of 2021 and beyond.

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Spaceship Earth at EPCOT

Historical numbers would need an increase in attendance caps to be reached as well. The USB expects that vaccine distribution in the U.S. will allow the domestic theme parks to increase capacity to 70% by this fall and 100% by 2023.

Hollywood Studios

We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation with the vaccine and how it affects Disney parks as well as on analyst opinions going forward. Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!